Fiction. Inspiring and thought provoking story about a boy who decides to be a shepherd in Spain but through a series of good omens travels to Egypt to find treasure. Along the way he learns about people, nature, himself, and his destiny, or "personal legend" as he calls it. There were several quotes in this book that caused reflection on my part. Here is one of those,
"I'm alive," he said to the boy, as they ate a bunch of dates one night, with no fires and no moon. "When I'm eating, that's all I think about. If I'm on the march, I just concentrate on marching. If I have to fight, it will be just as good a day to die as any other. Because I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man. You'll see that there is life in the desert, that there are stars in the heavens, and that tribesmen fight because they are part of the human race. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we're living right now."
It reminded me of a children's book that was published 10 years previous to this one, The Treasure by Uri Shulevitz. Both have similar plots and express similar ideas and both cause reflection on my life's journey.
Recommend: Yes
